Normally, I hate shopping. I'm one of those stereotypical blokes who wanders around the mall whinging about ... well, pretty much everything. I like to dash in, grab whatever I need, pay for it, and get back to watching the cricket.

But overseas, something's different. Shopping's not just tolerable; I actually enjoy it. And most of the time I don't even buy anything - I'm happy to just wander around, checking things out with no real purpose or aim. Just seeing what takes my fancy. In other words, I start shopping like a girl.

And the strangest thing is, the shopping that I detest most at home (markets), is what I like the most on the road. Things that I think are piles of junk here become treasure troves when you whack a non-English speaking storekeeper in front of them a waft through a few foreign aromas.

Like everything else that I love overseas, shopping - especially at markets - is just so different. Sure, the copper bracelet or leather-strung necklace you bought in Peru is probably much the same as the one in someone else bought in the markets in Croatia, or in Egypt, or in Thailand, or in Mexico.

But you can't replicate the experience of attempting to haggle for it in someone else's language, or feasting on some cheap street eats post purchase, or just taking in the hustle and bustle of locals going about their day.

And, of course, there's the secret joy in going home and wearing or displaying your little purchase and getting to say, "Oh, this? Yeah, I got it at this market in Marrakech. Had to haggle, but I got a pretty good deal."

So here are a few of my favourite places around the world to grab a bargain.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
I don't know what came over me in BA, but I went gangbusters. I shopped like a private school girl at the Boxing Day sales. I picked up bags and bags of great - and ridiculously cheap - clothes in the uber-cool district of Palermo. I bought souvenirs at the markets in Recoleta. I splashed out on cool antiques from the street stalls in San Telmo. I bought football jerseys from the sports stores on Florida. I went in search of an extra bag.

London, UK
Granted, most places you need a small bank loan or a close relationship with an investment banker to even buy a sandwich, but the Camden markets are awesome. I could wander around there for days just people watching, never mind buying any of the cool secondhand clothes or drinking at the canalside pubs.

Hong Kong
The say Hong Kong residents love two things: eating and shopping. Which suits me fine. I just got back from Honkers, so it's fresh in my mind (and bank balance). While I couldn't really afford any of the impressive electronics or gadgets you can find in Wan Chai and lower Central, I loved the cheap antique shops around Lan Kwai Fong, and just the experience of walking around the night markets at Temple St. And the food does rock.

Jaipur, India
As long as you can deal with the constant hassle and cries of, "Sir! Sir! What is your good name, sir?", then the Rajasthani capital is a great place to shop for traditional items like sari silks and spices. The whole city is like one big market, so just wander and browse, and stop in for the occasional chai.

French supermarkets
Not technically shopping in the normal sense, but a French hypermarket like a Carrefour or an Auchon is a sight to behold. For starters, the floor space is about the size of two football fields, with everything on sale from lawn mowers to langoustines, croquet sets to croissants. But for foodies, being presented with aisle upon chilled aisle of the world's best cheeses is heaven. Or, alternatively, just go to a local fromagerie.

Cape Town, South Africa
While some prefer the slick modernity of the V&A Waterfront to part with their cash, the craft and flea markets in the Sarth Ifrican city are great for picking up local crafts, as well as traditional carvings and souvenirs from all over east and southern Africa. Green Market Square has pretty much everything you'll need.

Tokyo, Japan
Another place where I could happily just sit down somewhere and people watch for the day (and night). Tokyo's like the Las Vegas of shopping, all hustle and bustle with plenty of attitude. Pretty much anything you want to buy can be found in Tokyo.

New York, USA
OK, no surprises here, but what list of shopping destinations would be complete without it? And the way the Australian dollar is going at the moment, it's actually pretty affordable to shop there. Still, I don't think I'll be whipping out the credit card on Fifth Avenue just yet.

Where's your favourite destination for shopping? Any that you'd avoid?

Congratulations to last week's photo competition winner, Constanza Munoz, won receives a set of Lonely Planet Citiescape books. Check out the best entries for last week's theme, "Places I'll never go back to", here.

Win! Win! Win!This week we continue the regular photo competition on The Backpacker. Send in your best photo on the theme of "shopping around the world". Include a brief description (50 words or less) and we'll publish the best ones next week. The best photo overall will win a set of Lonely Planet Citiescape books. Email your pics to bengroundwater@gmail.com

*Competition only open to Australian residents. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entries must be received by Monday, December 3.

Ostentatious. Flashy. Fascinating. Dubai is all this and more, writes Lonely Planet.

Arabesque, Disneyesque and clearly taking growth supplements, Dubai has reached a turning point. It's famous enough so that everyone knows something about it (even if it's just a glimpse of tennis pros hitting a ball on the Burj al Arab helipad) but not yet popular enough so that people haven't stopped asking, what's it really like?

For many of the more than 5 million visitors who fly into its sleek airport every year, it's a flashy, fun, often surreal yet uniquely Arabian city, with year-round sunshine, stunning five-star beach hotels, endless shopping, bubbling nightlife, and world-class sports events. For the educated expat here on contract, it offers the stimuli of any other multicultural melting pot but with a lifestyle that's like graduating from flying business class to having your own private jet. And to the workers who are building the billion-dollar developments mushrooming in the desert it's everything from a heaven-sent opportunity to an overheated hell on earth.

But while the speed of modernisation is rapid, Emiratis are proudly clinging to their traditions. Instead of discarding their national dress, Emirati women are calling attention to it - they are embellishing their abayas with gems and sequins, confidently drawing attention to themselves. Like Dubai, they have a sense of optimism and confidence in their identity, and they are celebrating it.

When people say that Dubai has no culture or history, that the city is fake, you won't hear any apologies from Emiratis for not having the pyramids, temples or museums of other Middle-Eastern destinations. Dubai's history is in its songs and dance, and its culture can be found in its Bedouin heritage and Islamic religion, while its sense of purpose is rooted in its identity and spirit - a spirit that's really taking the city places no city has been before.

And it's this, along with the juxtaposition of the traditional past and high-tech present, that makes Dubai such an intriguing and exciting destination.

* Dubai Museum: Enter the past through the doors of the old Al Fahidi Fort.

From Lonely Planet's Dubai city guide, by Terry Carter and Lara Dunston, $34.95.

YOUR TIPS

The top attractions in Dubai, according to the people who have been there.

Getting around

Buy a ticket on the Big Bus Tour. These double-deckers stop at 23 places including several souks, the dhow river cruise (included in the ticket), the Al Fahidi Fort, the amazing Burj al Arab and the Jumeirah Mosque. You can hop on and off anywhere throughout the day.Lyn Goodman

Public transport is not good in Dubai but taxis are plentiful and not too expensive.Robyn Lewis

Open Doors Open Minds is a small-group walking tour of the Old City at the Sheik Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding. Share Arabian coffee and learn about the customs and culture from a local.Pauline Munro

Where to stay

Stay in the Bastakia Quarter, where there are still remnants of old Dubai. In the cooler season you can walk to the creek and Al Fahidi Fort (museum).Nancy Moncrieff

Robbery is almost unheard of in Dubai but women should not walk alone at night in the Satwa/Bur Dubai area. (My daughter was attacked in a well-lit area on a busy road.)Robyn Lewis

Things to see and do

Go to the Gold Souk in Deira at night when everything comes alive. It's fun, safe and you can't get lost.Barbara Courtney

Ski Dubai, in Emirates Mall, is the world's third-largest indoor ski slope, using 6000 tonnes of snow. For about $50 you can slip and slide for two hours.Mary Curran

Memories at Wafi is an unforgettable shopping experience. It is unbelievably opulent and the staff wear Victorian dress.Pauline Munro

Wafi Mall has an Egyptian theme with magnificent foods, dining, smoking pipes, beautifully dressed local people and an amazing roof.Sue Porter

Eating out

A buffet meal at the top of the Burj al Arab has all you can eat in a seven-star restaurant. It costs $136 but includes spectacular views and bragging rights.Walter Kosiak

Saladicious in the Al Maskan building behind the Jumeirah Mosque has wonderful service and fresh food. A meal for two is about $30.Robyn Lewis

When to visit

January is the best time, with winter temperatures of about 25 degrees and bargains at Dubai's shopping festival.Peter Stephenson

Many people avoid Dubai between June and August because of the heat and humidity, but it really is a great time. There are spectacular airfare and accommodation deals during those months. And everything is air-conditioned.Barbara Courtney

Do not visit in July-August unless you enjoy a temperature of 46 degrees every day. It cools down to 36 at night. The best time is from December to March.Robyn Lewis

Tip of the week

Arrange a Marhaba greeting guide for $80 to see you through customs and passport control to avoid standing in line for hours.Pauline Munro

Have you been to these places? Send your tips on the best restaurants, bars, hotels, shops, sights and activities to travellerguide@fairfax.com.au by Friday. Keep them to 150 words or less and mark your email "Beijing" or "Rio de Janeiro" in the subject line. We'll publish the best responses. Tip of the week wins a Lonely Planet guidebook.

Never say never, they say - which could make this a fairly ill-conceived blog. But in my opinion, and I think most travellers would agree, there are certain places that you just shouldn't go back to.

There can be various reasons why - some places you've just "done", and there's no more to see; some places have so many good memories tied up in them that you'll never be able to replicate that experience and those feelings; other places, it was just a bad idea to visit in the first place.

An old relative once told me that if I ever visited the same place twice, I'd be disappointed the second time around. And I can see that - you can only ever see a place with fresh eyes once.

There are plenty of places I would go back to in a second (just off the top of my head, I would kill to be in, say, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Mumbai, Paris or Hanoi right now) but I thought it was time to list those destinations that I'll willingly never experience again.

Siem Reap, Cambodia
This comes under the "done" umbrella. I visited Siem Reap a few years ago, and spent a week there with my brother, cycling between the ruins of Angkor by day, and attempting to drink the bars dry by night. If I went now, I can't imagine there are any ruins that would impress me as much as they did the first time, and I know I would bore the crap out of my new travel companion with tales of, "This one time, when my brother and I were here..." That, and I couldn't be bothered dealing with the touts.

Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand
I've actually written about this place a few times - or, rather, my dislike of it - but there are different reasons why I'll never go back. Mainly, it's the memories tied up in the place. I know that if I was to go back, I'd never be as care-free and party-ready as I was the first time. I'd hate the things I once thought were cool about it. And if it was secluded beach paradise I was after, there are better places to go.

Copenhagen, Denmark
Another that kind of falls under the "done" banner, but I was only there for a few days, so I can't have seen it all. Thing is, what I saw there didn't intrigue me that much. There was none of the all-consuming culture that I loved about mainland Europe, none of the incredible sights that I'd hoped to find. The Danish capital was a nice place to spend a few days - but I'm not saving madly to get back there.

The north of Scotland
This is something different - I love the place deeply, but the Morayshire I knew will never be the same Morayshire now. I almost had a "coming of age" moment while working on a farm up near Aberdeen, and to return would just be living in the past. All of my old friends have moved on; and after all, I'd bore the hell out of my new travelling companion with the stories...

Santiago, Chile
OK, this one's a bit different. The reason I never want to go to Santiago again? It sucks. I've had a great time in the rest of Chile, but it's capital is so devoid of interest it's ridiculous. Most Australians will end up there at some stage as a transfer point to the rest of South America. My advice: don't hang around.

Dubia, UAE
Dubai's a pretty interesting place, for about a day. Then you realise it's like the hot girl from your school: it looks all smart and sophisticated, but scratch the surface and it's a shallow beast, obsessed with riches and good looks. Once you've gazed in wonder at all of the ridiculous excess, there's not a lot more to do except head back to the airport.

Okavango Delta, Botswana
The Okavango is the dud of the African game parks. If you were just to fly in to Botswana, do a safari and then fly home, you'd think it was amazing; but compared to the likes of Etosha in neighbouring Namibia, and the Serengeti and Masai Mara further north, the Okavango is seriously lacking. Spending most of your time in a cramped canoe looking at reeds instead of wildlife isn't my cup of tea.

Chennai, India
This is one of those destinations that just wasn't a good idea to visit in the first place. When the highlight of your visit was discovering that the foreigners' ticket office at the train station had air-conditioning, you know you don't want to return. The rest of India, however, is a different story.

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland
As I've mentioned on this blog a few times, I used to work for a tour company in Europe, which means I've spent a lot of time in the major European cities. Most places I would love to return to, just for the experience of seeing them without a busload of tourists in tow. The tiny Swiss village of Lauterbrunnen, on the other hand, I've well and truly done, and had such a great time doing it that I couldn't possibly recreate it. While I'd kill for a rosti from the little restaurant on the main street, I'd just spend the whole time munching away on it, wishing for the company of the people I first shared a meal there with.

And for me, that's travel. There are some places that you'll never tire of, some that will throw up something new every time you visit. But there are other places best left as memories ... good or bad.

Where will you never go back to? Why?

Win! Win! Win!This week we continue the regular photo competition on The Backpacker. Send in your best photo on the theme of "Places you'll never go back to - for good reasons, and bad". Include a brief description (50 words or less) and we'll publish the best ones next week. The best photo overall will win a set of Lonely Planet Citiescape books. Email your pics to bengroundwater@gmail.com

*Competition only open to Australian residents. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entries must be received by Monday, November 26.

Reunified Berlin is an exuberant city that caters for all interests, writes Lonely Planet.

Berlin functions on a welcoming and exquisitely human scale. It's a city in which you can embrace and be embraced, relish and revel in its abundant charms and variety with total abandon, and feel energised in ways that you'll feel in few other world-class cities.

A simple "Wie geht's?" (how are you?) uttered in any pub or street-side cafe may well unleash a torrent of opinions and perceptions in perfect English.

And, boy, do Berliners have their opinions! It's no exaggeration to say that your average cabbie can hold forth respectably on any subject from the best sausage in the city, through the meanderings of Nietzsche, to the likely outcome of elections anywhere in the world - Berliners are that broadly informed and curious about the world and its people.

Since reunification, Berlin has changed the way it presents and regards itself. Gone is the perception of a beleaguered and schizoid city existing beneath the ominous presence of the Wall.

Berlin is becoming surprising, innovative and stunning - even by its own standards. The last vestiges of communism have, in many parts of the city, been detonated, rebuilt or at least received cheerier paint.

All that's worth salvaging has been lovingly and expensively restored while some of the world's greatest new architecture jostles for position with the classical splendour of old Berlin.

Your own "movie" of time spent in Berlin - whether you're indulging your appetites, drinking in culture by the bucketful, or exploring pathways, parks and forests within the city - will most likely star a huge international cast, thronging with gusto into the streets. And if you don't party hearty, you just don't belong in Berlin.

The sheer exuberance of the city sweeps you along with its throbbing beat and hurls you - on one of the best transport systems in the world - into its pulsing club life, vibrant neighbourhoods, dining and arts scenes and close encounters with some of the greatest historical sights in all of Europe.

Highlights

* Bar-hopping: Just pick a neighbourhood.

* Altes Museum: Nefertiti and other stunners from antiquity.

* Unter den Linden: A phalanx of blockbuster sights.

* Reichstag dome: Berlin from above.

* Scheunenviertel: Boutique, bar and gallery-hopping.

From Lonely Planet's Berlin city guide by Andrea Schulte-Peevers and Tom Parkinson, $32.95.

YOUR TIPS

The top attractions in Berlin, according to the people who have been there.

Getting around

Drive a relic of the former East Germany, the two-stroke, plastic-bodied Trabant. Good value at EUR70 ($115) for two hours. See trabi-safari.de.Geoff Oliver

Things to see and do

A full-day tour of the city with Brewer's Walking Tours (www.brewersberlin.com) costs about EUR12 ($20). It also has tours of Spandau and Potsdam.Sue Moore

Take a guided walk. Many leave from near Bahnhof Zoo. Several themed walks are available. On a summer afternoon, circumnavigate central Berlin by boat along the Spree River and the Landwehrkanal.David Anderson

Go to the information centre near Brandenburg Gate and do a free walking tour.Lesley Cooke

A fake beach is set up in the Mitte district alongside the Spree River from late spring until the end of summer.Melissa Haddon

Prenzlauer Berg is an "arty" area and has inexpensive cafes and boutiques and crazy fringe theatre at the Volksbuhne am Prater.Elisa Ghisalberti

The Pergamon Museum is one of the world's great ancient-history museums.Toni Beauchamp

Do a free walking tour. Guides work for tips and are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. See newberlintours.com.DJ

Where to stay

The owner/manager at the Hotel-Pension Bregenz is helpful and speaks English. It is in a quiet residential area but only a block away from the Kufurstendamm and public transport. See hotelbregenz-derlin.de.Penny Gerner

Find a hotel in the old East Berlin, even more interesting than West Berlin.Nikolaus Scheiff

Eating out

Hire a bike and ride to the Turkenmarket for lunch along one of the canals off the Spree River in Kreuzberg. Picnic along the river.Hon Leong

Lunch or dinner at Lutter & Wegner, the oldest restaurant in East Berlin. Great feeling.Nikolaus Scheiff

Tip of the week

It's easy to rent a bike for a day. Fahrradstation (fahrradstation.com) has rental outlets in several locations. The red paved section of the footpath is reserved for cyclists.Tsi Chan

Have you been to these places? Send your tips on the best restaurants, bars, hotels, shops, sights and activities to travellerguide@fairfax.com.au by Friday. Keep them to 150 words or less and mark your email "Dubai" or "Beijing" in the subject line. We'll publish the best responses. Tip of the week wins a Lonely Planet guidebook.

Not that there's anything wrong with taking them away with you, but some people get obsessed with them.

You'll see them texting their "besties" from the top of the Eiffel Tower, calling home so their Mum can listen to the busker they just came across, snapping off photos to MMS to their mates, madly texting away in the common room at the hostel.

If you miss your friends that much, why go away in the first place?

Technology has made massive changes to the way we travel in the last 10 years - some of them are great, some of them don't affect us much at all, and some of them bug the hell out of me.

The first few times I travelled independently, I didn't have a phone. Hell, I didn't even have an email address, which is close to unthinkable now. I actually posted letters.

My parents like to tell the story of how they met up with some friends while backpacking around Europe in the '70s. With no means of communication while they were both on the road, they planned to meet up at a certain Munich campsite on a certain date four months in the future. If anything happened to them, or either couple changed their plans, they just wouldn't be there.

That their cars pulled into the campsite at exactly the same time, one behind the other, on that day is almost irrelevant. It's the sheer unpredictability of the rendezvous that most of us will now never experience, thanks to things like mobile phones and email. And I think we're the poorer for it.

The term "lonely planet" is now pretty irrelevant. Just how lonely can you be when, almost anywhere in the world, you can whip out your phone and dial, or flip open your laptop and access the nearest WiFi signal, and be chatting away to your nearest and dearest in seconds?

Not that it's always a bad thing. Working on tours in Europe, my mobile was a lifesaver on several occasions. Whatever I was doing, or wherever I was, if it all went pear-shaped I could just text my driver, let him know what was going on, and organise a new meeting point. Back when my parents were travelling, the driver and I would have spent hours trying to find each other, fighting our way through a foreign city with 30 confused tourists in tow.

But that's the problem. Think about all your best stories: most of them revolve around when something went wrong. Your car broke down, so you had to hitch a lift with a local, and ended up having dinner with their family. You got lost, and wound up in a beautiful part of town you never would have discovered.

But those handy little gadgets can prevent that from ever happening.

I know a few people who travel with the little GPS satellite navigation systems. They're priceless when you hire a car and really just want to get to where you're going, but they also take all the adventure out of it. They take out the crazy shortcuts that someone told you about, the wars with Italian Carabinieri over which streets you can go down, the bungled city tours that wind up in another city altogether.

Those are the things you laugh about years later.

So what do you do? Do you go old fashioned and leave all your gadgets at home?

I think you need to strike a balance. Sure, take your phone, but don't leave it switched on all the time, texting your mates constantly (even I've been guilty of this). Have it with you for emergencies, and just switch it on to check your messages, say, once every few days.

Take a laptop if you'll actually use it, but not if you're going to spend your whole trip worrying about having it stolen. (My mate Matt had one on our South America trip, and would peer around at every hostel we arrived at: "But where am I going to leave the laptop?" He ended up carrying it around with him most days.)

A good rule of thumb is: never travel with something you're going to regret losing.

Take an MP3 player, too. For long bus trips, or train trips, or flights, or any time of pure boredom, they're the greatest things ever invented. But don't use them while you're walking down a city street, or sitting in a restaurant by yourself, or - and I swear to God I saw this a few months ago - trekking along the Inca Trail. You'll miss more than you realise.

Get an email address or a Facebook profile - but don't become obsessed with it. You can bore everyone with your stories when you get home (er, trust me).

And get the niftiest, coolest little digital camera you can get your hands on, and get snap happy. You can always delete them when you get home, and you'll never regret taking one.

But whatever you do, don't let your gadgets - and the friends and relatives on the other end of them - run your holiday.

And change your bloody ringtone.

Do you take all the mod-cons with you on the road? Would you recommend it? Have they ever gotten you out of a jam?

Hope you're enjoying the Backpacker blog. There'll be a new one up on theage.com.au every Wednesday, for a bit of light relief to remind you of why you went to work in the first place: to save up enough money to get the hell out of here! If there are any good travel topics you think I've missed, drop me a line at bgroundwater@gmail.com.

A bowl of whisked green tea in the tea-house of Hama Rikyu Onshi-teien is about as Japanese as it gets. The garden was once a pleasure dome for the shogun but now you too can savour the moment. But cross the wooden bridge and look backwards: framing the tea-house are the skyscrapers of Shiodome, gleaming glass and granite, and all built since the turn of the millennium. If that is not an only-in-Tokyo moment, then nothing is.

But that's just one of many inimitable moments in the Japanese capital. You might find your moment crammed on the morning train, cheek-to-jowl among millions of commuters. Or maybe it will be the astonishing outfits of the kids by Harajuku Station.

Today's Tokyo is as Ultraman as it is Hello Kitty and as worldly as it is homebound. It's a place where you may find a rustic Shinto shrine in the busiest of business districts, where people cherish their personal space yet may insist on walking you to your destination if you are lost.

Tokyo is one of the world's most high-powered cities, noted as a capital of politics, finance, fashion and design, yet in this city even the humblest of tasks carries great nobility. Watch as a gardener sweeps with a broom made of tiny switches so as not to displace a single piece of gravel, or as a shopkeeper wraps even the simplest of gifts so elegantly that the recipient will surely know it came from the heart of the giver.

Finding your Tokyo moment requires observation, and that is one of the pleasures of this city. Yet, like the nation it leads, Tokyo requires decades of experience to truly understand it. And that is also one of its pleasures.

Buy a Suica travel card for 2000 yen ($19) at most stations. This includes underground and some above-ground rail travel. The J.R. Yamamote line is very useful; it is similar to London's Circle Line, as it links the major tourist, business and government destinations and long-distance railway stations.Tony McIlwain

Catch the train on the J.R. line to Ryogoku station. During wrestling competitions, one may see sober-faced sumo wrestlers walking to and from their barracks.Frances McGrath

Things to see and do

For your first trip, check out the Edo Museum to understand how Tokyo evolved.Rebecca Rogers

Visit Ginza and Harajuku shopping districts, but don't buy any souvenirs until you have visited the Asakusa Kannon Temple shopping arcade. "Everything is 1050 yen" shops (similar to the $2 shops) are plentiful.John Anandarajah

Pick up a free Metropolis magazine from any Tower Records store or HMV in Tokyo for a guide to what's on in the city.Naureen Taylor

On Sundays, pop into Harajuku Park, where you'll be entertained by rock'n'rollers and see how Japanese teenagers rebel against tradition. There will be a parade of young girls dressed up as Little Bo-peeps, goths and in extraterrestrial fashion.Cilla Tey

Go to atmospheric Kagurazaka. Get off at Iidabashi station and head up the hill. There are stores serving traditional sweets and cake, tea, pottery and ceramics, incense and kitchen implements. Kamikura restaurant is a fusion of Japanese and French cuisine.Phillip Musgrave

Visit the biggest fish market in the world at Tsukiji. The 5am tuna auction is amazing.Richard Briggs

Live the karaoke cliche at Fiesta (fiesta-roppongi.com/en/index.shtml) in Roppongi. It has a stage instead of the typical boxes.Andy Jaeger

Where to stay

Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku is a new mid-price range hotel, part of the Sunroute Group, which has hotels all over Japan. Rooms are small but very well appointed, attractive, quiet and comfortable. Prices from about $140 single and $210 double. See http://www.sunroute.jp.Tony McIlwain

Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku is in a great location. Rooms are spacious by Japanese standards. See http://www.keioplaza.com.Julie Yip

Tokyo International Youth Hostel is on the 18th and 19th floors of a high-rise building. It has a breathtaking view and is only a two-minute walk to the train station.
See tokyo-ih.jp.Langford family

Where to shop

In Shinjuku, walk through Isetan department store and be gobsmacked. Or try the new Takashimaya store near the station.Tony McIlwain

Eating out

Levels 48 to 52 of Shinjuku Sumitomo Building give a spectacular night view over Tokyo. A great place to eat.Julie Yip

Dine at the New York Grill (of Lost in Translation fame) on the 52nd floor of the Park Hyatt, Shinjuku. The view is fantastic and prices are reasonable.Cilla Tey

Tip of the week

The best views are from the 45th-floor observation deck of the Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku. Admission is free. Weather (and smog) permitting, you can see all the way to Mount Fuji.Lance Gyles

Have you been to these places? Send your tips on the best restaurants, bars, hotels, shops, sights and activities to travellerguide@fairfax.com.au by Friday. Keep them to 150 words or less and mark your email "Berlin" or "Dubai" in the subject line. We'll publish the best responses. Tip of the week wins a Lonely Planet guidebook.

Like contact sports, all-night benders and using your indicator, there comes a time when you get too old to be a backpacker.

I've had a few people write in about this, and I figure it's true. After all, there's a fair bit of hassle involved in backpacking: you've got interminable waits in airports, train stations and bus shelters, the nightly hunt for cheap accommodation, the nightly chore of putting up with that cheap accommodation, the challenge of getting around a foreign land, constantly stomaching foods you're not used to ... the list goes on.

So at what point do you decide you've had enough, and either trade in the backpack for a family-sized suitcase and start booking hotels, or hang up the travelling shoes entirely? When do you know it's time?

I've got a few ideas.

But before we go on, let me point out that this isn't meant to be ageist in the slightest - some people get too old to be a backpacker when they're 19; others are still kicking around youth hostels in their 60s.

This blog topic could be a product of my own current age crisis - I just saw a photo of myself as a fresh-faced youngster about to board a train in India. I looked thin, sprightly and young. That was three years ago. Things have changed.

But the changes are not just appearance-wise. There's more. Transport delays seem to bug me much more than they used to. Where once I would have just shrugged my shoulders, whipped out the hacky sack and found someone to have a kick with, I now grumble under my breath, rail for a while against the shoddy transport system in *insert dodgy country here* and sit down and read a book.

These days, fancy hotels seem to impress me more. I get the odd freebie hotel stay from time to time, and I used to feel very uncomfortable there, and couldn't wait to get back to a smelly hostel. Now, I'm still happy to go back to slumming it, but I quite enjoy my little slice of luxury, no matter how small it might be.

I stayed at the infamous backpacker party haven The Milhouse in Buenos Aires a few months ago, but left after a couple of days. When someone at the next hostel asked why, I said: "Oh, they're all too young there."

Too young? Aargh!

But I think there are other signs that you're getting too old for the game. For one, you start dreading the act of travelling. If you just want to "get" to the destination and have the journey over with, you've lost one of the joys of travel.

You might also find that it's taking you longer and longer to get ready in the mornings. Where once you just threw a few essentials in a day pack and ran out the door, you now dither over whether you really need that poncho, and how much cash are we going to spend today?

Another sign is that you become obsessed with making sure there's a decent place to go to the toilet. Carefree backpackers couldn't give a toss - as long as there's a patch of grass and a tree, you'll be right. But after a while, you start to long for your creature comforts.

Then there's kids. I'll put my hand up here and say that I don't have any, so I don't really know what I'm talking about, but come on, how can you properly backpack with a few little tackers in tow? Kids don't like being dragged around from temple to temple all day long. Your hardcore travelling career has jumped the shark once the sprogs start to appear.

Also, you'll start to hate pubs. Granted, a good drinking constitution isn't a prerequisite for travel, but you meet so many great people over a couple of beers at the local boozer. When everyone in there just seems too young and rowdy, it might be time to book a flight home.

You'll notice your priorities changing, too. Where once you just needed a roof over your head (if that), you now need the comfort of air-conditioning to get a good night's sleep. Where once it didn't matter how you got there, just as long as you arrived, you now make sure you get a sleeper cabin, and a first-class one if possible.

Timeframes will vary, but I'm convinced that we'll all make this horrible descent from free-spirited backpack lugger to bumbling Trafalgar passenger eventually. I'm just trying to put it off for as long as I can.

Have you reached a point where you're getting too old to be a backpacker? What are the telltale signs?

Win! Win! Win!This week we continue the regular photo competition on The Backpacker. Send in your best photo on a general backpacking theme: what really sums up the backpacking experience for you? Include a brief description and we'll publish the best ones next week. The best photo overall will win a set of Lonely Planet Citiescape books. Email your pics to bengroundwater@gmail.com

*Competition only open to Australian residents. The judge's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. Entries must be received by Monday, November 12.

Aside from the movie stars, you'll probably find all that and then some in one of the world's most intriguing and complex cities. Sure, cruising the Sunset Strip in a convertible, finding your favourite celebrity's star on the Walk of Fame and window shopping on Rodeo Drive are all part of the LA experience. But once you've starred in the movie of your imagination, move on and transcend the cliches. Explore the other LA with its superb art museums, cutting-edge architecture, beautiful parks and gardens and fun shopping. Pick from an international smorgasbord of culinary experiences - Afghan to Zambian - then take in some world-class jazz or Beethoven.

What makes LA so fascinating is its wealth of human experience, its mosaic of cultures living side by side in relative peace, and its beautiful setting by the sea. Not even earthquakes, traffic gridlock and smog can stop LA from thriving. Reality here is never far from the myth, and vice versa. And that's just what makes LA so unique. And fun.

Highlights

- Bodysurfing at any of LA's legendary beaches.

- Traipsing in the footsteps of Chumash Indians and filmmakers in the Santa Monica Mountains.

The top attractions in Los Angeles, according to the people who have been there.

Eating out

The Grove at 6301 West 3rd Street is a flash assortment of shops, cinemas, restaurants, cafes and star spotting. CBS studios is just around the corner. Next door the Original Farmers' Market has all kinds of cuisine. Loteria has authentic Mexican.Kristina Andrew

Hit Uncle Bill's Pancake House, in Manhattan Beach, for breakfast, then walk it off along the beach.Shannon Ward

Walkers Cafe in Point Fermin Park has spectacular views of the coast and Channel Islands.Alison Rose

Getting around

The Metro Transport system is easy and cheap. Go to metro.net and use the trip planner.Kristina Andrew

A car is essential for flexibility. Based on my 37 visits to Los Angeles, I urge visitors to buy a street directory and avoid the freeways. Minor roads are much better signposted than most roads in Australia.David Williams

We rode along the bike path which connects all the beaches, from Malibu to Torrance - a total of 35 kilometres. Venice Beach Markets and Muscle Beach are true Californian originals.Laila Dwyer

Things to do

Visit the Getty Centre (getty.edu) on an architectural tour.Shannon Ward

The Getty Museum is a must-visit for all lovers of art and beautiful things.Pam Romanes

Larchmont Village keeps alive the look and feel of Los Angeles of the 1950s and '60s. Delightful.David Williams

Visit Venice Beach on a Saturday or Sunday. See webcam of the action at www.westland.net/beachcam/.Tony Andrews

South Bay's string of beachside suburbs (Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo) offer visitors the classical southern California experience away from the tourists.Andy James

Take a guided Segway tour up to the Hollywood sign and take in the sights (www.segwow.com/tours.htm).Shannon Ward

Where to stay

The HI hostel in Santa Monica is 5-10 minutes from the pier and costs $US28 a night. You can book tours that go all over LA.Byron Malcolm

Splurge and stay at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel at the corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Boulevard.Cilla Tey

Tip of the week

Ocean Avenue Seafood in Santa Monica might be the best seafood restaurant in the US.Tony Andrews

Have you been to these places? Send your tips on the best restaurants, bars, hotels, shops, sights and activities to travellerguide@fairfax.com.au by Friday. Keep them to 150 words or less and mark your email "Tokyo" or "Berlin" in the subject line. We'll publish the best responses. Tip of the week wins a Lonely Planet guidebook.